


Lala's home

by NoonoosKitchen



Series: Shukitashu canapés [6]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Love Confessions, M/M, there's a tiny bit of internalized homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:14:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22954645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoonoosKitchen/pseuds/NoonoosKitchen
Summary: A part of Akira’s life had always been confusing to him, so he decided to ignore it. That is, until he found himself at the doorstep of Crossroads.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Kitagawa Yusuke, Kitagawa Yusuke/Kurusu Akira, Kitagawa Yusuke/Persona 5 Protagonist
Series: Shukitashu canapés [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1615258
Comments: 8
Kudos: 128





	Lala's home

The first time Akira entered Crossroads was one of the most anxious situations he had experienced in his life. 

The first one was the trial for his criminal record. The second one, his trip alone to Tokyo. And finally, meeting the drunk reporter in a CLEARLY queer bar just made all those ugly and unsettling feelings bubble up again. 

He knew that he would be in an atmosphere very different from what he was used to, but why, from the hundreds of bars in all Shinjuku, it had to be this one? Just by standing on the front door, he felt as if he were in the middle of the school courtyard, screaming, catching everyone's attention. Even though there were only two people in the bar, he felt as if thousands of eyes were drilling his back. He was so glad Ryuji was not with him at that moment, he was sure he wouldn't have been able to explain his sudden tense stand.

If being in the queer bar wasn’t distressful on its own, the fact that flashes of Yusuke's slender figure kept coming to his mind was almost the like salt being sprinkled over an open wound. 

He wanted to hide. He wanted to run. He wanted to turn his back to it and deny it all.

It was very difficult to pay attention to Ohya. All he wanted was to get it over with and leave. Thankfully, Morgana got all the vital information that Akira couldn't register and that was that.

The next times he had to go meet with the reporter were no less stressful, but he went mentally prepared for it. It was on one of those times that the owner of the bar, Lala, caught his attention while Ohya was drunkenly babbling about something.

“Tell me, dear. Why do you always get so tense when you come here? You know we won't do anything to you, right?”

The question caught him so off guard that he didn't have time to control his facial expression, totally surprised. 

“What is it? I just want to make sure you're comfortable when you're here.”

All he could do was lower his eyes as he bit his lip. He couldn't say it. He couldn't just say it in front of the owner. “It's nothing.”

“Is it because it's a gay bar?”

Akira's head immediately shot up at the accusation.

“You don't want people to see you here? Are you scared they'll think you're gay?”

“I'm not gay!!” He suddenly said in a loud voice, his self-defence mechanism triggered. Lala looked at him with wide eyes. “I'm... not…” Yusuke's peaceful face as he looked up at the fake starts in the planetarium appeared on his mind. “I... don't... “ His voice kept getting lower and lower, until it was almost a whisper, and his head lowered back down to return his eyes to the table. “I'm.... confused…” 

Then, he heard a small sigh escape from Lala's lips and a firm hand landing on his shoulder, the warm touch melting some of the tension in his body.

“It's all right. You’re safe here." She told him in a gentle tone, a strange occurrence for the boy with the criminal record.

Akira took his head up once more, looking at the woman in front of him with desperate eyes, and his voice escaped him without his permission, letting out all he had buried deep inside of him for so long.

Even since middle school, he noticed how his eyes lingered on both girls and boys during PE classes. He was no fool, he quickly knew what that meant. But that didn't mean he was willing to accept it. Lucky for him, none of the boys around him ever got his attention, so he could pretend to be a ‘normal’ kid with ‘normal’ tastes without much trouble. Whatever lewd images or videos he sneakily search on the internet to satisfy his pubescent eagerness were no one's business. 

He thought it would keep being the same in Tokyo, he WISHED it would, because having the burden of his false criminal record was already hassle enough.

But then Yusuke appeared.

He was beautiful, undeniably so. But if that was it, Akira would've been satisfied with some nights by himself, some tissues and Fox's provocative collarbones peeking out from his phantom thief suite. Yusuke was so much more than that. He was confident, passionate and with a special sense of quirky humour. So passionate and wonderful, his eyes were able to see much further than Akira's. He could glance into a whole other world of marvels and radiance, and he was willing to take Akira with him into such magnificent space of art and beauty.

The others thought he spend so much with him because he pitied him, and though that bothered Akira to an extent (Yusuke was so brave and strong, he should not be seen as a mere helpless victim), he couldn't see it upon himself to tell them that he actually just wanted to be with Yusuke.

The stupid little crush he had on the artist kept growing at an incredible speed every time he saw him, and it was starting to make him mad. That is, until Lala extended his hand to him.

To finally be able to voice his feelings and his long kept secret to someone was so relieving that he almost felt like he was flying. He knew that Sojiro and his friends cared for him, but this was not something he felt comfortable telling them. And even though now Morgana knew (it was impossible to hide it from him, always glued to his side every time he was with the young artist or at Crossroads), this was different.

It was only natural when he started working at the bar. Being able to let down one of his many masks after a long day at school or a tiresome run in Mementos was refreshing. Being able to voice out loud all the new little things he discovered about Yusuke that made his heart flutter was nice. Lala thought his silly teenager crush was really sweet, and she was always eager to listen to him talk about his 'pretty boy'. Sojiro had asked him about his part time job, but he simply said he worked at the beef bowl restaurant, and that's why he had a late shift. He knew his guardian wouldn't let him work at a bar, especially not a queer one.

And like this, Akira was able to meet many other people in situations similar, worse, and better than his. Talking with so many other human beings that didn't fit into society’s moulds helped him open his eyes. The majority of them were adults, some living in secret with their loved partner and others still hiding from everyone. Some even seemed as confused and lost as he was when he first came to Crossroads. These last ones were university students, though they were few compared to the more grown up patrons that came into the bar. Seems like they were still under the same burden of fear which was torturing Akira, feeling too young to be comprehended, or accepted, by others.

He liked Crossroads. It felt like home there.

After a few months of more lovesick babbling about Yusuke, Lala started insisting Akira to bring him to the bar. He was an artist, right? Always searching for new things? Who knew, maybe he would like it?

Akira refused at first. Not in a million years he would do that. He couldn’t risk it.

But as the times he met with Yusuke and the small touches and looks they exchanged increased, so did his confidence. Well, it couldn’t hurt to bring him. And it was not like anything was going to happen. Maybe it was ok.

And so, Akira invited him. The proposal was met with wide, gleaming eyes and excitement. The following weekend, just as Akira finished with one of the regulars, a new client entered Crossroads. A tall, beautiful boy who was obliviously looking all around him. Akira quickly called out to him, and he was rewarded with a sweet smile and a low purr of his name. 

Yusuke took the stool in front of him and comfortably settled down, still looking around the establishment. Akira offered him a glass of water and, after taking a huge gulp, finally talked.

“So, you like it?”

“Ah, I can’t say this isn’t extremely exciting, I’ve never been to a place like this. The altered tones of red and purple these neon lights project are gorgeous. Thank you for the kind offer, Akira.”

Those bright, curious eyes.  _ That smile. _ It was not good to feel so light-headed while he was on shift, but it was all Yusuke’s fault. Well, at least it looked like he liked the place. First step, successful. 

Just as Akira was about to say something else, he noticed how Lala came to stand next to him.

“So, you’re Akira’s  _ friend _ ?” The tone on that last word was not very subtle. "It’s so nice to finally meet you, I’ve heard so many things about you!”

“You have?” Yusuke replied, somewhat surprised. “I guess that’s a good thing…”

“Yes, a great thing!” She said with an amused laugh. Akira’s heart stopped for a moment.

“Well, I feel quite flattered then. I didn’t know Akira treasured my friendship so much." He replied, turning to look directly at said boy. Akira felt how his entire faced started to burn. Why did he had to word it like that…?

“Oh, I believe he does. And he’s also a great employee, and with a silver tongue!”

“Yes, I must agree. I can think of several situations where his clever cunning helped me tremendously…”

The following 30 minutes were filled with a back and forth between Lala and Yusuke, each taking turns in showering Akira with praise and compliments. 

On his part, Akira felt as if he was about to pass out. Not even during his worst colds he felt so hot. His face must have been so red… and that just made him even more flustered. Lala was doing this on purpose. He shouldn’t have brought Yusuke.

When the time to go home finally came, he was quick to gather all his things. Lala kept insisting they stayed for a bit longer, while Akira kept urging Yusuke to leave. Apparently, his nervousness was taking such a hold of him that he started to cling to Yusuke’s shirt, who in return lightly touched his arm and looked at him confused.

Akira was feeling overwhelmed, he wanted fresh air. Being in the safe atmosphere of Lala's home confused him. Yusuke’s touch in his arm confused him. He looked up and saw Yusuke’s worried eyes locked on his, his face earnest. A thought started invading Akira’s mind. What if he confessed? Yusuke didn't seem bothered by the bar, or Lala's comments, or they current closeness, so maybe...? Maybe it was ok...?

Akira closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and steading his mind. He opened them slightly and started getting closer to Yusuke's face, slowly, giving him plenty of opportunities to pull away. But he didn’t. Akira just kept closing the distance between them, a constant prayer on his mind;

_ ‘Please, pull away. Yusuke please pull away, before I do something I might regr―" _

And their lips touched, a light press of soft flesh that made Akira's hairs rise up all over his body. So warm, so sweet. He felt as if his entire body had melted from the heat on his cheeks and only the butterflies flying around his stomach existed. When he pulled a few centimetres away, he saw Yusuke staring back at him, eyes wide and his face redder than a carnation’s petal thanks to the neon lights of Crossroads.

What a beautiful image. Maybe this really was ok. No, not maybe. This was ok. 

Unable to steady his nervous heart, Akira decided to give up and he firmly grasped the front of Yusuke's shirt, resting his smouldering face on the taller boy's shoulder and letting the embarrassment completely conquer him. Meanwhile, Yusuke kept staring at Akira, grip as strong on his bag straps, trying to figure out how to respond to the sudden show of affection. After a few moments, he settled with wrapping his arms around Akira's body and embracing him tightly, hiding his own face on unruly black hair.

Lala watched with a smile from her place behind the counter as both boys shared the first of many kisses to come.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you very much for reading <3
> 
> [ twitter ](https://twitter.com/nature_check)


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